MycoWorks started in a San Francisco art studio. Co-founder Phil Ross had been growing reishi mushroom sculptures since the 1990s. Today, those same techniques produce Fine Mycelium for luxury fashion houses—and the company is headquartered in Emeryville.

From an $18 billion multinational to mom-and-pop roasters, Emeryville packs an entire coffee industry into one square mile.

For nearly a decade, Emeryville's business community had no place to gather. Now, once a month, biotech meets hospitality. Artists meet city officials. Founders meet neighbors. The Emeryville Commerce Connection calls it Connexions.

Beth Esponnette's parents thought studying clothing design was frivolous. She did it anyway—Cornell, Stanford, a professorship at the University of Oregon. Then she built a company that Walmart now wants to partner with. The headquarters is on Hollis Street in Emeryville.

This past October, Emeryville threw itself the party it deserved. The city's first official Art + Culture Month marked the moment Emeryville publicly claimed the cultural identity it's been building for decades.

A billion dollar investment. A 12-acre campus and room to grow. Emeryville just became the site of the East Bay's next major healthcare destination.